At First Glance
by LadyKatsu
Summary: A portal between worlds and a mysterious new stranger lead Yusuke and crew to believe that a new student is more than what she appears. Could she be harboring more than even she knows? Rated for language in later chapters
1. A New Case

Authoress here.

I'm bowing my apology to all of you who are reading this story, but I couldn't help it! Even after totally ignoring and never finishing my previous YYH fic, I couldn't help but come back and write another.

I'm sorry! I couldn't help myself! I love the series too much to not write more! Wait! One last thing! In the manga, the ruler of Spirit World is King Yama, but in the TV show it's King Enma. I figured I'd just use the manga name, so I just wanted to clear up any confusion. That said, I'll get started.

START CHAPTER

"You have a new case. Recently, Yusuke, there was a report of something both unheard of and unpredicted. At around three o'clock in the morning two days ago, a small portal was opened between Spirit World and the human world." Koenma, the son of Spirit World's ruler King Yama, was sitting at his desk with his hands folded. "We had to take some time to confirm our findings, and today was the soonest we could tell you what had happened with no speculation."

"What? How could you not notice something like a portal opening?" the young spirit detective demanded, raising a fist at his boss. He wasn't interested in the explanation of why he wasn't told sooner as much as the facts.

"It was a small hole, Yusuke!" Koenma snapped, standing up almost spitting his pacifier out with the effort. "And it was open for roughly a minute. How can you expect us to see something that was formed so fast?"

"It's a gap between worlds," Yusuke replied through clenched teeth. "I figured you'd notice something like that after I got killed the last time it happened."

Koenma flopped back down into his chair and heaved a hearty sigh. "The waves of energy showed that there was only one person...or demon who passed through. We need you to find them. After all, we weren't aware of any other psychics in Spirit World who were capable of creating a rift like that, much less that quickly."

Yusuke's eyes flashed angrily. "You don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for? For all you know, it could be an S-class demon!" He ran his fingers though already gelled hair, defeated. "Damn, this job sucks."

"Another rift?" After about an hour, Yusuke had rounded up his friends and found a restaurant where they could meet. It was a small but quaint burger shop called Masashimo's. It was a small, family owned place run by an old but nice man. He didn't carry the same family name due to marriage, but he ran it proudly nonetheless.

Kurama's eyes carried his trademark sign of worry as he set his drink back down before it reached his mouth. "Yusuke, this is serious. We can't be sure you'll be as lucky this time and come back to life if you get killed again."

"If only," Hiei muttered in his usual grim and sarcastic tone, loud enough for only Kurama to here.

Kurama ignored him and was ready to continue when a tray of food was set on their table. He cast a polite smile at the waitress who had delivered their meal and waited for her to leave before continuing. "We can't be too careful."

"I know that," Yusuke replied angrily, glancing away and resting his elbow on the table.

"But knowin' there was danger ahead never made ya turn tail and run before," Kuwabara remarked, taking a massive bite of the cheeseburger he had ordered. "Don't see why it would now. Hell, you don't even let being dead stand in your way."

"Even so, Kuwabara, we need to keep a sharp eye out. If the portal was small and only one passed through, whoever -or whatever- they were will be much harder to track down than if they were alone.

Yusuke smashed a fry between his fingers before tossing it to the table and standing up. "I'm goin' to the arcade," he announced, stomping out the door and making the bell jingled annoyingly.

The waitress glanced up from wiping off the tables when she heard the door open, and winced slightly as it slammed shut. She eyed the food that he hadn't eaten and after hesitating a moment, she walked over to the table.

"Was there something wrong with the food? I'm sorry. I'll refund your money if it wasn't good," she offered quickly. Her short brown hair was pinned beneath a red scarf that matched the color of the thick-strapped tank top that she wore as part of her uniform. To complete the outfit, she wore a short black pleated skirt.

Kurama smiled again kindly. "There was nothing wrong with the food, miss. Our friend is just a bit preoccupied right now, that's all."

Kuwabara, in an act of hopeless flirting to perhaps finally get a girlfriend, gave her what he thought was a charming grin. "Actually, this burger is really good."

She smiled back gratefully. "Thank you. The manager isn't here today, so I've been doing all the cooking." She eyed him carefully before changing the subject unexpectedly. "I think I know you. You're Kazuma Kuwabara, right?"

He blinked a couple times. "Uhh...yeah, who're you?"

She smiled. "Ayame Kushinjyo. I'm pretty sure I'm in your class. I'm new here. Actually, I've only been here for two days. It seems pretty nice, I guess." As the door opened again to admit a couple on a date, she said a hurried goodbye and dashed off to serve them. As she turned quickly, she bumped into the side of the booth they were sitting in and stumbled. She fell halfway before catching herself, and the tank top strap slipped to the side to reveal a tattoo on the back of her right shoulder. She fixed it hurriedly, and swiftly fled to the table beckoning her.

When she was safely out of earshot, Kurama turned to the others. "Did you see that?"

"Yeah," Kuwabara replied. "You can see her underwear every other step when she walks fast."

"You brain dead halfwit," Hiei said icily. "He was talking about that tattoo on her shoulder. It looks oddly like a demon birthmark."

Kurama nodded. "And that's not all that's strange about her. She said was new here. That could mean that she's the one we're looking for."

"But she looks human!" Kuwabara protested.

"Just because she appears human," the redheaded ex-bandit replied. "Does not mean she is innocent."

END CHAPTER

So what did you think? I love Yu Yu Hakusho. I'd have to say it's my favorite anime, and Yusuke is my favorite character from that series. It's too bad for me that Keiko exists. I intended to make this a romance fic, but all the other good guys have girls after them (AKA my rabid friends).

I can't break up Yusuke and Keiko (again), can I? Maybe I'll swerve out of my usual genre and do some other weird type of fic. Mystery, action, or maybe angst. I don't know.

Authoress out.


	2. Fireworks

Authoress here.

Okay, I was going to put up the first chapter and then go by reviews before putting up a second, but I got bored and started typing this chapter before even getting the first one up. I couldn't help it! I'm obsessive compulsive!

START CHAPTER

Ayame entered her small home after her work shift was done and immediately after shutting the door and forgetting to lock it, she headed right for the couch. Flopping down, exhausted, she shivered. The boys in Masashimo's had made her feel uneasy. Even as she was walking away, she could feel their eyes on her.

"There's something weird about them," she said aloud, shifting so her cat to leap on the couch to sit beside her. "Something abnormal, almost."

Her cat gave her a strange look, then squinted her eyes shut in delight as Ayame began to rhythmically scratch behind her ears. She had been a stray that followed Ayame home from work the day before, and they had quickly become good friends. She was jet black without a single patch of white. Bad luck, some thought. Adorably strange, Ayame decided.

"Momo, what do you think it is?"

Momo the cat simply mewed and sprinted out of the room to chase after a particularly intriguing dust ball.

Ayame sighed and cast a fleeting glance around her empty house. Her parents had started their new jobs as soon as they had moved here, and she never got to see them anymore. Sometimes it would be just a short "hello" or goodbye" before they would be gone, and that was all. Neither seemed to hear their own daughter grumbling about schoolwork or the idiots who made a mess of the table that she had to clean up at Masashimo's.

She sighed heartily and peeled herself from the couch, heading towards the fridge in hopes of getting something for dinner. As she entered the kitchen, her eyes were drawn to the large window that faced her backyard. Their land bordered a dense forest, and she hated not being able to see the river that was only thirty feet from the fence.

A sudden bolt of blue light shot out of the woods and smashed through the window. She fell backwards and rolled as the fridge toppled over, almost hitting her. Afterwards, there was silence broken only by voices coming from the woods, their words undistinguishable. Ayame had fainted.

-In the woods-

"Yusuke, if you're going to kill a demon grunt, watch where you're aiming," Hiei snapped angrily.

Yusuke lowered his hand, clearly in a bad mood even now. "I shouldn't have left the arcade," he declared bitterly. "Who cares about any demons around here anyway? Dammit, I haven't missed that bad since I was in training."

"Idiot," Hiei muttered. With rapid sword skills, he had cut down the fleeing demon with ease after Yusuke had missed with his Spirit Gun.

Kurama walked forward to the edge of the woods where a metal fence stood. "Yusuke," he said quietly, turning around to face the teenager. "You hit someone's house."

"What?" Yusuke was worried now. "A house?"

With a nod, Kurama replied, "Right through a window."

Yusuke rushed forwards quickly to look at the damage he had caused, and his expression quickly changed. "That house has been abandoned for years, guys."

"The why is a light on?" Kuwabara asked softly. "Think it's a gang?"

Yusuke smirked and nodded, glad for the change of mood. "Yeah. Let's go in there and kick some ass. I could use the exercise."

Yusuke and Kuwabara rushed the house, and Kurama and Hiei stayed behind, leaning on the fence.

"I sense demon energy," Kurama announced suddenly, after the others were out of sight. "Coming from that house."

-Meanwhile-

Yusuke and Kuwabara had moved around to the front of house, and were startled to find the front door was unlocked. They stepped inside, letting the door swing shut behind them, and looked around.

Furniture and boxes were sitting in the living room of the house.

"Shit," Yusuke whispered, his chocolate brown eyes on the unpacked boxes. "Someone just moved in here."

Kuwabara headed for the kitchen. Upon reaching the door, he flinched back. "There's a chick in here! She's unconscious!"

Yusuke moved hurriedly to the kitchen, and looked at the girl who was face down on the floor. Her hands and arms had multiple cuts on them from broken glass. There was an inch between her and the fallen fridge. It had just missed her.

He clapped a hand to his mouth and exhaled onto his palm. "Shit," he repeated. "How the hell do we explain this one?"

When Ayame came to, she was on her couch with a blanket pulled over her. She felt movement by her left arm, and turned her head to see what it was.

A red haired boy was at work bandaging her arm. She let out a cry of surprise as she saw three other men around her.

The redhead glanced up at her and smiled. "Ah, you're awake."

"What the hell happened?"

"Stray firework," Yusuke said quietly. She shifted her gaze to him. "We heard the noise and came running."

Ayame's eyes then roved around until they landed on a small pinecone in Kuwabara's hair. "Why were you in the forest?" she asked accusingly, her eyes flickering back to Yusuke. It was in her nature to assess people before believing anything they said, and they hadn't passed the test.

"We weren't," came Yusuke's lightening fast reply.

"You're a bad liar," she replied sharply. "And that was no firework. They can't make them to be that shade of blue. Tell me what that was."

Momo entered the room cautiously, totally unnoticed until she rubbed against Kuwabara's leg. He glanced down, startled, then smiled and began petting her.

Ayame heard the purring from the other side of the room, and said quietly, "Momo, stop that."

"Momo?" Kuwabara repeated, not taking his eyes from the cat that jumped into his lap a few seconds later.

Ayame nodded, temporarily deterred from the subject. "Are you going to tell me what really happened or not?"

Yusuke felt a prickle go down his back, and glanced around sharply. Demon energy. Ignoring Ayame's question, he turned to his friends. "We have to get her out of here, now!"

Nodding, Kurama scooped her up and followed Yusuke out the door at a run. Kuwabara held tight to Momo as he exited the house, and Hiei was already standing outside.

Despite her complaints, Kurama didn't put Ayame down until they reached his house. She had been dropped onto the couch, and was looking rather grumpy. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Hey, I remember you! You're that girl from Masashimo's!" Kuwabara exclaimed suddenly.

"I remember you, too. You're that idiot who popped a ketchup packet all over himself," she replied coldly. "Now stop changing the subject. I want an explanation for what happened, and it had better be good."

END CHAPTER

Boredom and a sudden inspiration make a story chapter. This one is going to have a shocking twist at some point in time, so prepare yourselves.

I'm so overly dramatic.

Authoress out.


	3. Blackout

Authoress here. Yet again.

I just watched the new YYH episode, so I was totally inspired to write more. Yay! My writer's block is no more...as of now, anyway.

START CHAPTER

"It doesn't matter how many times you say it," Ayame snapped. "That was _not _a firework." Her hazel eyes were unfalteringly fixated on Yusuke.

Yusuke sighed. "That's the truth, take it or leave it."

"I'd gladly leave, but it would seem that I can't." Her eyes flickered to Kurama, who was still diligently trying to bandage her right arm even with her bad temper, complaints, and frequent movements. "Your friend is playing the doctor at the moment."

"Kurama is only trying to help you, girl."

Ayame glared at Hiei, the one who had spoken. "I have a name, shrimp. Ayame Kushinjyo."

"It doesn't matter who you are. I couldn't care less."

Kurama chuckled lightly as he finished bandaging up her right arm. "You're lucky, in a way. If you hadn't rolled, that refrigerator would have crushed you."

She was aware that he had changed the subject but didn't exactly care. "That's what I figured. By the way, my neighbors are pretty nosy. They probably think you kidnapped me and are having the cops search the place by now."

"That's a risk we can take," Yusuke replied.

Kuwabara sighed. "I hate cops. They're always scarin' off the gangs so Urameshi and I have nobody to beat up."

"That's not it," Yusuke countered. "The gangs know we can kick their asses so they run all by themselves."

Ayame shifted and winced. She had gotten a bruise and some scratches on her side, but hadn't mentioned them. She didn't feel the need to have a boy she had just met bandaging anything that close to her chest. She already felt out of place enough sitting on a couch in his house in her work outfit. The short skirt was getting on her nerves, and it was annoying her that Kuwabara wouldn't stop staring at her legs.

"I wish I had never moved to this damn place," Ayame said quietly. "The teachers suck, I get mugged on my first day here, and now this bullshit."

Hiei's red eyes temporarily narrowed. "This is why I hate the human race. They always complain."

Ayame cast him a startled glance. "You hate humans? Then...what would that make you? A cow?"

"Do the world a favor and use your brain," Hiei replied coldly. "What do I look like to you?"

"A really short guy with a bad temper?" she offered mockingly.

"Hiei," Yusuke began warningly as the short demon raised and hand to remove his headband.

_Relax. If she's normal, she won't notice a thing,_ he sent telepathically to the other boys in the room. With that, he tugged off his headband. "What about now?"

Ayame didn't answer right away. She could see, quite clearly, a third eye in the center of his forehead. Without thinking, she said, "A Jagan eye?" The word sounded foreign to her and she didn't know where it had come from, but it had appeared in her mind and she had said it.

She seemed a bit taken aback, as did the others.

"You really are different," Yusuke commented offhandedly. "But as far as I can tell, you're not a demon."

"That thing that went through the window," Ayame continued, totally ignoring the others and saying the words that floated into her mind. "It was a Spirit Gun, wasn't it?"

"How the hell do you know that?" Yusuke asked, standing up.

"I'm...not sure." She put a hand to her forehead and let her eyes drift to a spot on the wall. "I was right, then?"

Yusuke nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"It's not me that knows it. It's coming from..." Ayame's eyelids flickered suddenly, and she slipped from the couch in a dead faint, a soft cry escaping her lips

Yusuke moved fast enough to catch her before her head hit the ground and placed her back on the couch.

"What the hell was that all about?"

The question was greeted with silence for a moment.

Then, "Demon energy again," from Hiei. "It's another psychic."

END CHAPTER

Mysterious. Don't fret, kiddies! I have a plan! And it involves many cliffhangers!

Authoress out.


	4. Verbal Wars

Authoress here.

I know I should be doing my homework, considering there's quite a lot of it left to do (shakes fist at school) but I can't help loving my stories!

My sincerest apologies if I spelled Kurama's human name wrong. Every time I watch YYH with captions on when they call him by that name, it's spelled differently. I just sounded it out. Sorry, Emiko, if I got it wrong! (bows)

For reference as to who Emiko is, read PenPusherM's Yujo Chronicles, Emiko's Story. I'm going to use her in my story anyway. If you don't feel like reading it, she's Kurama's demon mate in a human body.

START CHAPTER

"A psychic?"

"Did I stutter?" Hiei turned his red eyes to Kuwabara, who glared in response.

Kurama glanced over at the unconscious Ayame thoughtfully. "A psychic must have been sending her messages and images all this time, and that's how she knew about the Jagan Eye and your Spirit Gun, Yusuke."

Yusuke shrugged. "Makes sense. But now we've got even more to worry about."

Hiei retied his headband firmly around his forehead, covering his third eye, before saying, "I can still sense the demon energy. Strange..."

"What's strange?"

"It's coming from your house now, Kurama."

Kurama looked concerned, and his emerald eyes flickered around the room. A demon in his home could have meant his human mother, who was sleeping upstairs, was in danger. Although he was not really her child, he loved her like a mother anyway. Two people meant the world to him: his mother, and his girlfriend Emiko. If either was to be hurt by a demon, the offending demon would promptly be cut in two.

Kuwabara felt something brush against his leg, and jumped, letting out a cry that broke the gathering silence. "Momo?"

"You grabbed her for dear life when we ran here," Yusuke said with a snicker, eyeing the cat. "Tough guy Kuwabara likes kittens," he finished mockingly.

"Shut up, Urameshi! So does she!" he replied with a gesture towards Ayame.

"Yeah, but she's a girl," Yusuke responded.

Kuwabara sighed. "Ya just don't get it, do ya?"

"You're a pansy?"

Momo leapt onto Kuwabara's lap and rubbed the side of her face against Kuwabara's hand, purring loudly. "No. I just like cats, okay?"

"Whatever, Kuwabara. You don't have to get so pissed off about it." Yusuke crossed the room to toss a blanket over Ayame, who had just shivered in her unconscious state. "This is just gettin' too weird."

Hiei strode to the door abruptly. "I'm leaving. I can't stand looking at you any longer." With that, he exited Kurama's house and ran off at a breakneck speed.

Kurama sighed, but smiled. "That's Hiei for you."

Ayame's eyes opened after a pause, and she sat up groggily. Momo's green eyes fixated on her owner, and she mewed softly. "Did I...faint again?"

"Yeah," Yusuke replied, his voice devoid of anything that could resemble gentleness. "Right after saying some stuff a human kid wouldn't know."

Ayame sighed and sat up. "I don't know how I knew any of that. Just, suddenly...it was there."

"I suppose it's hopeless for us to avoid telling you the truth any longer," Kurama said, running a hand through his red hair. "Ayame..."

He proceeded to explain Spirit World and everything that went along with it to Ayame, who sat in silence.

"Now that you're involved, I'm afraid we'll have to talk to Koenma," he said apologetically. "It would seem that this psychic has some sort of connection to you."

Momo hopped onto Ayame's lap, and she stroked her back affectionately. "This is a little much for one day, I think. By the way, I thought your name was Shuichi."

Kurama laughed good-naturedly. "I must have skipped over that detail. Hiei and I are both demons, but my story is a bit different than his. I fell into the human world, right into the body of my human mother. I became her child, but I'm really much older than 15."

Ayame nodded, satisfied with the explanation and resisting the urge to make a perverted comment. She was still absorbing the knowledge of another dimension beyond her own. She pet Momo thoughtfully. "Demons...another world..."

She was too deep in thought to even care about the short brown hair falling in her eyes. It was quite a sight by this time, considering she had already fainted twice in one day and had been carried at a run to Kurama's house.

The blanket had fallen onto her lap and was still covering her legs, and one of her hands clenched it tightly. She was afraid, but determined not to show it. "So this psychic...is here right now?"

"It seems impossible, but yes," Kurama replied. "I can sense it in this very room as well. I can't pinpoint exactly where."

Ayame shivered and looked hurriedly around the room. "If there was something here, I could see it...right?" she asked worriedly.

Kurama nodded, but Yusuke fielded the question. "You could see the Jagan Eye and the Spirit Gun so even without that psychic, you're still not exactly normal. You have some awareness to this kind of stuff, so I wouldn't be to worried."

A nod was all she offered as an answer.

"I can feel it in here," Kurama said suddenly. "It's...laughing at us." His eyes flickered around the room, trying to spot the demon.

"It's not a powerful demon, really," Kuwabara said reassuringly. "Just a run of the mill psychic."

"A run of the mill psychic," she repeated skeptically, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well...yeah. There's a ton of 'em out there. Hiei is one, but this guy's no where near as strong as him." Kuwabara smiled confidently. "Shouldn't be a piece of cake."

Ayame pulled the blanket around her, tucking her legs underneath her so that her feet were no longer resting on the floor. "The demon followed us here?"

"It would seem so."

"You're human, so it sure as hell isn't you," Yusuke explained. "But there's some weird demon energy around here. It's not normal, either. It has something to do with you, though."

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Yusuke glanced over at Ayame as she continued. "It's a bit much to kidnap me after breaking my kitchen window, then start making accusations about all this shit."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "You sound like my mother."

"Your mother doesn't need to come into this conversation, Urameshi," she snapped, her eyes glinting.

Kurama sighed. Another argument started between two obviously stubborn people. "Is this really necessary?"

Ayame fell silent and averted her eyes from Yusuke. "I'm sorry," she said honestly. "I...this is all new to me. I'm still struggling to believe all this. Just ten minutes ago, I thought demons were made up to scare little kids, and now I'm sitting on one's couch."

She sighed. "I think I should go home now."

"No." The forcefulness of Yusuke's reply startled her. "You can't leave until we figure out what the hell is going on. You have to meet Koenma tomorrow."

With a quick glance at the clock (12:36 AM), she replied, "Today."

"Stop it with this smart ass shit, alright?" he shouted. She merely blinked, seeming totally unaffected. "We're gonna talk to Koenma and get this shit sorted out in the morning."

Ayame stood up, letting the blanket fall to the carpeted floor. "I'm going home."

Yusuke moved to stand in her way. "No you aren't."

"I'm _not _spending the night at his house."

"It would be safer if you did," Kurama said calmly. "If it will make you feel better, I can invite my girlfriend so you won't be the only girl here."

Ayame exhaled slowly. Then, "I guess that would be okay, then."

Kurama headed for the phone. "I'll call her, then."

Ayame ran a hand through her unruly hair. "This is going to be one hell of a night."

END CHAPTER

Is it bad that this chapter is longer than my history day report as of right now?

I should get back to work.

Authoress out.


	5. Emiko the Vixen

Authoress here.

I thought it might be a little too much to bring in all the friends I wanted to...plus I've been flamed for it before. So, as a result, we just have Emiko. Yay Emiko!

Everyone else, I love you! Don't hurt me!

One more thing: I decided to take a leaf out of PenPusherM's book and write in both 3rd and 1st person views. When it says _Yu Yu Hakusho _it's in 3rd person. When it says the name of the person, it's from their point of view. I thought it might be fun to try something new like this, so bear with me, okay? M, I thank you for that idea. This chapter was starting to get a little dull.

START CHAPTER

_Yu Yu Hakusho _

Emiko had arrived roughly 15 minutes later, and Ayame had watched her closely as she delivered a loving greeting to Kurama. Already, she could tell that Emiko was abnormal as well. Human, but demon at the same time.

Emiko giggled and left Kurama to greet Ayame. She extended a hand. My name is Emiko. Glad to meet you."

Ayame stared at her hand for a moment before taking it, not used to greetings such as this one. "Ayame Kushinjyo. Nice to meet you too."

Yusuke, unbeknownst to Ayame, was watching her. She was hesitant and self-conscious when she was speaking to Kurama and Emiko. As the others cleared out of the room when Kurama suggested they watch a movie, he lingered.

"Are you afraid of demons?"

Ayame turned, the blanket still it her hands. She had been halfway through setting it down. "What?"

Yusuke's chocolate brown eyes were unwavering. "You heard me."

Ayame shook her head and turned away. "That's a stupid question."

"And you're not answering it," Yusuke pointed out, not willing to give up so easily.

Tossing the blanket onto the couch instead of folding it, Ayame brushed past Yusuke as she made to exit the room. He was causing her to grow gradually more and more annoyed.

As she swung her arm back, Yusuke caught her wrist. She stopped immediately and didn't look back at him. "Let me go." Her voice was quiet.

He instead tightened his grasp. Her muscles had tensed, and she was ready to fight him to get away if she had to. "You're scared of Hiei, Kurama, and Emiko, aren't you?"

"Get off me," she snapped, tugging her arm as he had predicted. She still didn't look back at him.

"Just answer the question," he said reasonably.

Now she turned to face him, spinning rapidly. Her eyes were watery from trying not to cry as he put her main problem out in the open. "Get the hell off me, asshole."

He let go of her arm, his expression not changing, and walked out of the room. He was careful to move quickly but not bump into her.

She heard footsteps heading upstairs and she waited until they were gone before she headed to watch the movie with the others, first drying her eyes.

_I didn't mean to make her cry. _Yusuke was sitting at the top of the stairs, just out of view of anyone who would come looking for him. _Damn, I'm stupid sometimes. I shouldn't do this to her. She didn't do anything wrong. _

He sighed and ran a hand through his slicked back hair. Ayame would have to meet Koenma the next day, and he doubted it would go well. If she didn't like demons much, she wouldn't enjoy going through the building Koenma was residing in. Even George the ogre would probably terrify her.

"Idiot," he muttered. Laughter could be heard from downstairs in Kurama's living room, but Ayame's was not present. He sighed. "Guess it's not her fault, though. I'm the dumbshit who shot a hole through her window."

Momo was sitting at the foot of the stairs. She paused a moment, then issued a soft meow and bounded up after him. Leaping onto his lap and digging her claws into his thighs, she meowed again.

Yusuke pushed Momo off. "Get off me, you frickin' cat."

Giving him a curious and innocent look, Momo hopped back onto him. Yusuke picked up Momo, stood up, and dropped her on the floor. He stomped down the stairs, leaving the cat to stare after him. "Stupid cat," he grumbled.

Downstairs, Ayame shifted uncomfortably. She had been seated next to Emiko on the couch, leaving an open spot to her right, and hadn't said a word. She was content on listening to them talk to better understand who they were before she started talking to them. The two demons had made it clear that they had no intention of hurting her in any way, but she still barely knew them.

Kuwabara snickered at a love scene in the comedy they were watching. "That's so dumb. What guy would say that?"

Ayame suddenly heard herself respond, "Any guy who has a chance at getting a girlfriend."

Chuckles followed Ayame's remark. Emiko nudged her side, and when she glanced over an impish grin was sent her way. She smiled nervously back. It seemed that she was drawing ever closer to making a new friend.

Yusuke entered the room and Ayame fell silent.

"Ah, done moping?" Kurama asked pleasantly. Yusuke answered his question with a glare and looked around for a place to sit.

Sure enough, the only spot was next to Ayame, who seemed to be noticing it at that exact same moment. She carefully avoided eye contact with him.

_Ayame Kushinjyo _

When Yusuke came into the room, I froze up. The only seat besides the floor was next to me, after all. Was he going to sit there?

_Your move, Urameshi. _

Yusuke looked around a few times, then sat down next to me. My heart was racing. What the hell is up with that? It's not like I like him or anything.

_He's just hot. _

Did I really just think that?

Emiko nudged me and smiled. I think she knows when my mind is elsewhere or something. It's hard to understand, but it's what I think. "Have you ever seen this movie before?"

Oh yeah! We're watching a movie, aren't we?

I shook my head. "No, have you?"

She nodded and flushed. "Kurama and I saw it together."

"What's it about?" I asked, honestly curious. It was hard to tell just from the opening scenes what was going on.

"Well...umm..."

"Meaning you ignored the movie and made out in the back row, right?" I replied.

Emiko's mouth opened slightly, but I could see she was blushing. She gave me a look of exasperation. "That's not true. We weren't in the back row."

We laughed together quietly.

_Yusuke Urameshi _

Girls are annoying. They're always giggling. Emiko might be strong, but seat her next to Kurama and you have the makings for something really lovey-dovey instead.

Sitting next to a girl who's got a short skirt on is overrated, too. I sighed softly and put my hands behind my head. "What other movies do you have, Kurama? This one sucks," I asked, ignoring the girls next to me.

Ayame flicked her hair a little as she turned to look at me. "How can you say that? You haven't even been in here for five minutes yet."

"Trust me," I said, looking back to the screen where an ugly actor was hitting on a really cute girl. "I can tell already."

Ayame looked back at the television and lowered her voice so that she didn't disrupt the others. "It's a comedy. It's not supposed to make sense."

I yawned, making her give me an annoyed look. "Whatever."

I could tell just from the look on her face that she wanted to punch me after I said that. And I mean really punch me. Not just one of those wimpy punches that most girls I know are famous for, either. She wanted to haul off and give me a black eye or two. She didn't. Instead, she said, "Just shut up then."

_She's a lot like me. _I was a little shocked by thinking that without...well...thinking, but I guess it's true. We're both pretty stubborn, we don't really trust people very fast, and we're straight to the point. Coincidence.

Ayame shifted next to me, and when I looked over I saw a lot of thigh from her skirt riding up. She didn't seem to notice.

How do you tell a girl something like that without her thinking you're a pervert?

She realized she was almost flashing everyone in the room and pulled it down after a minute or two.

_Yu Yu Hakusho _

Ayame yawned, muffling it with her hand, and continued watching the movie. It wasn't really that good and she agreed with Yusuke on that, but she would never let him know that was what she thought.

She was far too stubborn for something like that. She'd never had a boyfriend or a boy that had expressed interest in her that suggestion attraction. Next to Emiko, she felt rather lonely.

Emiko's head drooped onto Kurama's shoulder halfway through the movie, and he draped an arm around her tenderly.

Ayame had to look away.

END CHAPTER

Ayame the Boyfriendless Wonder!

Authoress out.


	6. What's With Your Cat?

Authoress in this spot at this point in time.

I had a slight case of writer's block and a heaping helping of schoolwork, but it's getting better.

Have I disclaimed on this story? I don't own anything but Ayame and Momo. Emiko belongs to PenPusherM, and you should read her stories for background on how Emiko and Kurama became a couple.

If the Rabid Lawyers have been mentioned (I can't remember and I'm too lazy to check!), they belong to JewelValentine.

START CHAPTER

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

Falling asleep next to a teenage demon had been a bit tough. Ayame kept jumping at the slightest noise and had freaked out when Momo walked into the room and mewed softly.

Pulling the cat close, comforted by the sound of purring, she had managed to fall asleep.

When she awoke the next morning, Ayame jumped again. Yusuke Urameshi was leaning against the door. Emiko wasn't there. She must have already gotten up.

Ayame sat up, conscious that she was only clad in pajamas borrowed from Emiko, who had thought to bring over extras. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping an eye on you. The guys and I talked about it last night. Since the demon energy follows you around, we figured the best way to catch them was to watch over you."

"That's creepy."

"At least you didn't wake up during Kuwabara's watch."

Ayame shivered a bit at the thought of the kitten-loving teenager watching her while she slept. "Don't say that."

Momo crawled out from underneath Ayame's blanket and sniffed the air a few times. When she saw Yusuke, she hissed and arched her back.

"What's with your cat?"

_Ayame Kushinjyo _

"I don't know," I replied, honestly shocked. "She was fine before you came in here."

Yusuke stepped out of the way as Momo lunged, trying to swipe his leg with her claws. "This is why I hate cats," he remarked.

"That's not fair to say. Momo is generally really nice." I shrugged. "I guess she just doesn't like you."

Yusuke smirked. Did I mention he has a really cute smile?

"Wouldn't be the first non-human thing that hates me."

I shrugged. Again. I'm really bad at gestures unique to me. I was too busy concentrating on how his eyes weren't focused on Momo. He was looking at my chest beneath the thin tank top Emiko had provided as I stood up to seize Momo. When I noticed that, I yelped, abandoned Momo, and swung at him.

He caught my arm, twisted it around, and I'm not quite sure how, but he pinned me to the floor. "Get the hell off me!" I snarled. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up already." He released my arm and sat on my lower back. "I'm thinking."

"That's a change." Why did I say that if I think he's cute?

Yusuke grabbed Momo by the scruff of the neck, tossed her into the hallway, and closed the door with a solid kick, totally ignoring me.

Needless to say, I was both embarrassed and angry. "Yusuke, what the hell?"

Maybe opposites _do _attract. But that would mean he likes me too, and something tells me that's not true.

_Yusuke Urameshi_

I don't know why I'm sitting on Ayame's back. I don't know why I told her to shut up. I don't know why I'm talking to myself.

I'm kinda confused right now. I'm not sure what to do. There's some demon messing with a human chick right under my nose, and I haven't found her yet. I'm assuming it's a girl, anyway. A guy would've come right out and punched me already. Girl demons tend to like making things more complex and annoying.

Human girls are like that too. Right off the bat, if we understand what's going on, they change their mind. As soon as I finally remembered what kind of flower Keiko liked, she told me that she didn't like them anymore.

Why am I thinking about Keiko? We're just friends, that's all. But does she want to be more than friends?

"Can't you think while sitting somewhere else?"

Oops. Forgot about her.

"Probably," I replied, not moving.

She heaved an irritated sigh. "Are you a complete dumbshit? Get off!"

"That's not very polite."

"Says the king of profanity!" she countered.

This might take awhile.

"Least I can be the king of something!"

"That's gets me to wondering. Why didn't the call you the queen?" she snarled.

"'Cause I'm not a girl!"

"Could've fooled me," she replied icily.

From behind the door, I could hear muffled laughter. Tugging it open, I saw good old Kuwabara standing there, doubled over laughing.

"You guys fight like an old married couple!" he choked out.

"No we don't," she and I snapped at the same time.

One really embarrassed and awkward second later, I climbed off her back and went to punch Kuwabara. Leave it to him to ruin the moment.

I punched Kuwabara in the right shoulder when I got to him. "Shut up, kitten-boy."

Even the nickname couldn't make him stop chuckling. "You two are just like Kurama and Emiko!"

"Shut up," Ayame said, grabbing the blanket to pull over her body while she found her clothes. Her face was pink, but I couldn't tell it if it was from anger or embarrassment. Maybe a little of both.

Once she'd gathered some clothes, she went into the bathroom and locked the door firmly before she changed. I had figured that she would just throw us out. Weird.

I guess she knows that if she said she was going to change in front of us if we didn't leave, we wouldn't go anywhere. I hate it when girls know that kind of shit. She really keeps me guessing, and I don't like that all that much. I'd rather she just told me how she felt than make a wild guess and get shot down.

Sometimes it's up to the girl to make the move, ya know?

When Ayame came back out, it took all the willpower I had for my jaw not to drop. I recognized the outfit as Emiko's almost immediately. I had seen her wear it before when she was hanging out with Kurama, but I had never bothered to wonder what it would look like on another girl who wasn't taken.

She could tell that I was looking at her as she put her pajamas on top of the blanket. What guy wouldn't look?

Emiko's short black skirt was settled comfortably on her hips, a sheer black ribbon looped around the waist and tied into a loose bow on the front of her left hip. Her legs were longer than I had ever imagined. I guess I never really looked at them from this perspective before.

The shirt was a thick-strapped white tank top. It wasn't revealing, but I didn't care. It clung to her-

"What's your problem?"

Ayame had noticed that I was appraising her with a small smirk, but her eyes were on Kuwabara, who was gaping too.

She shooed him away, but swept past me to head downstairs, not saying anything.

Sometimes she makes me forget that I'm supposed to be after some demon.

_Ayame Kushinjyo _

Yusuke and Kuwabara are both shallow perverts, but at least Yusuke's attractive. I would never date Kuwabara. Does he prefer being called by his first name? Oh, who cares? I don't think to please anyone.

Heading downstairs, I was vaguely aware that Yusuke was following a few steps behind me.

Emiko was making breakfast in the kitchen with Kurama, so I hesitated at the door before entering. Emiko stopped talking mid-sentence and squealed when she saw me.

"That looks so cute on you!" she cried.

Kurama smiled and put his hands on her sides. "I'll finish making breakfast," he said quietly into her ear. After nipping her neck gently and making her blush, he headed to the stove to flip the pancakes.

I smiled a little, my cheeks turning a little bit pink. I'm not very good with accepting compliments, so I just blush and look away most of the time.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?" Emiko asked, suddenly appearing serious.

"Sure," I replied.

"Could you run downstairs and check the pantry for some syrup? It's in the room on your right."

"Sure," I repeated, heading to the basement door and tugging it open.

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

A scream pieced the air when her footsteps stopped.

"Help!"

END CHAPTER

Teehee. Cliffhanger.

Authoress going bye-bye.


	7. Illusion

Authoress says, "Hi!"

I'm having way too much fun with the Japanese names I looked up on the internet. It's a good way to find them when you're running out of creativity.

START CHAPTER

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

"Help!"

Yusuke bolted from the doorway where he had been standing and grabbed the basement doorknob to wrench it open when he recognized the voice as Ayame's. He jerked his hand back, startled, as he was hit by the equvilent of a spirit energy electric shock.

Swearing, Kuwabara pushed his way to the door, spirit sword already in hand. Bringing it up, he slashed at the door, expecting it to shatter. Instead, a demon territory was slashed and ribbons of energy pushed away.

Yusuke moved forward again and yanked the door open, half running, half tripping, down the stairs until he felt the telltale prickles of demon energy nearby. Snapping his head around when he reached the landing, he found himself looking at a woman who stood, smirking, across the room.

"Pleasure to meet you," she said, letting her lips shift to reveal several pointed fangs. She was a cat demon; ears, hair, and tail black as a starless night. Her eyes were a shade of glinting amber, the pupils those of a feline.

Yusuke's fists clenched as he realized that he recognized her eyes from before, and his lip curled back in a snarl. He did not trust his voice to reply, as his hands were shaking in anger already.

She smiled. "I'm glad to see that you know who I am already."

"Momo," Yusuke replied coldly, using the delightfully childish name mockingly.

She cat-demon rolled her eyes in disgust. "My _proper _name is Yayoi. That idiot girl didn't suspect a thing," she purred, her eyes squinting with pleasure. "She could tell that there was something abnormal about you and your friends, so when she felt my presence, she thought it was excess waves from you. I'm a psychic," she added offhandedly. "Like Hiei already realized. I can see into your mind. I can see...into your heart."

"Where the hell is Ayame?"

Yayoi grinned, flexing her clawed hands. "I don't think you'd like to see her right now. She's a bit...tied up."

Yusuke had expected to see Ayame tied up on the floor, bound and gagged, looking at him helplessly. He expected her to cry out against the gag, shouting his name. He was not prepared for what he saw next.

Yayoi smiled, and pointed to her left.

Yusuke saw the noose before he saw her face, pale blue. Her legs dangled limply, her eyes were glazed over. Yusuke slapped a hand to his mouth, nausea threatening to overcome him. Ayame had been hung.

It was Kuwabara who sensed it first as Yusuke stood, shaking, staring up at Ayame, that something was wrong. The edges of her body glinted orange. It was barely visible, but he knew it was still there.

He stepped forward and flung his spirit sword at her hanging body, flinching as it appeared to pierce through her. As he had thought, the image flickered and died. Yayoi pretended to pout.

"Oh, you didn't like that one? Pity, I put so much work into projecting that image." She seemed pleased with herself for how the image had affected Yusuke.

Yusuke's whole body was shaking with rage. His voice was deadly quiet when he spoke. "What did you do with her?" he asked acidly.

"Oh, nothing really." Yayoi's smirk was aggravating. "I have a few friends who were bored, and I have no use for a human girl. They, on the other hand..." She smiled as she saw comprehension dawning on the young detective's face. "Tamasine, Tomo, and Raidon can find a use for her, I'm sure."

Yusuke recognized the names as being masculine, and his eyes glinted maliciously. "That's it, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Yayoi held up a clawed hand. "Not so fast, Yusuke. Without me, you can't find your precious girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," came the automatic answer.

Yayoi rolled her eyes. "Judging by how fast you ran when she screamed for help, one can only assume."

Yusuke was about to reply, but Kurama cut him off. "Where did you send her?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm no fool. I can sense the last remainders of a portal. You did not clean up very well. Where did you send her?"

Yayoi's delighted grin faded. "Damn, I was hoping you were stupider than that."

Emiko clenched her fists and took a step forward, but Kurama threw out an arm to stop her from stepping into danger. She looked at him, and his eyes conveyed his emotions. They stood there for a few seconds before Emiko drew back.

Kurama's gaze moved back the feline demon frowning at him. Yayoi was silent.

"You've gotten a human involved in matters that she should never have known about." Hiei stepped from the shadows that had hidden his presence. "For that alone, you deserve death."

"Traitor," Yayoi hissed, her ears twitching. "Why would you take the side of a human child? If anyone should die, it's you."

"Do not confuse business with compassion," Hiei said curtly. "I don't care about that girl personally, but if she was to die, it would be all over the news. You're running the risk of our world being exposed. It doesn't matter whether humans can see demons or not. They would discover us someday."

Yayoi laughed delicately. "You over think the situation, Hiei. I'm only here to cripple the human world's defenses. With Yusuke subdued, there are only three others left to protect the humans. But each of you has a weakness." Yayoi's eyes rested temporarily on Emiko before flickering back to Hiei. "Even you."

"Such as?"

"Yukina." The word cracked like a whip, affecting both Hiei and Kuwabara in a similar way. Shock first, then anger.

"If you touch Yukina, you're dead meat!" Kuwabara sputtered, raising his fists.

Hiei did not say anything, but his silent anger was venting off in waves. Just by glancing at him, it was possible to tell that he would have slaughtered Yayoi at that moment if he did not have a high level of self-control.

Yusuke was nearing his breaking point, using all his willpower to stop himself from screaming until his voice was gone. He was furious that a person could vanish under his nose when he had been striving to protect her from demons the entire time. To think that he had never noticed anything unusual about Yayoi's cat form hit a sore spot.

It was a mutual feeling amongst all his friends, who had high levels of spirit awareness. It was odd, almost abnormal, that none of them had noticed her.

Kurama seemed to be thinking something along those lines. "How is it that you managed to disguise your demon energy from us? I know that it was no coincidence."

"Simple. That cat body I was using was an animal that I possessed. With an animal, levels of energy are muted by a great deal. I was, in entirety, a cat until earlier. You didn't notice because nothing was wrong with the waves. There was enough energy where you could tell I was there, but you could not tell that it was coming from a cat." Yayoi seemed very pleased with herself.

"And don't even get me started on how I got here. It was easy to find a weak point in the dimensional barrier. All I had to do was rip a hole in it to saunter right into this world. Closing it afterward was simple as well, welding with demon energy."

"I've heard enough," Hiei said sharply. "Your pointless ramblings about your so called genius won't be enough to save your life. If you think you are going to leave this house alive, you didn't plan ahead as well as you thought." He unsheathed his sword.

Yusuke pointed a glowing finger at Yayoi. "Tel me where Ayame is, and I'll make this quick. Otherwise..." He trailed off, knowing Kurama would fill the pause.

"Your death will be drawn out and painful. A seed will be planted in your arm. It will grow a plant that will eat away at that arm until it is only a bone. The same will happen with the rest of your body, saving your heart for last so that you can watch it stop beating."

Emiko couldn't help but smile at that. Kurama knew that above all, pain could frighten anyone. Oddly enough, she considered it a good quality to be able to inspire fear in even the blackest hearts. At least, in Kurama it was.

Yayoi's composure wavered for a split second. Her eyes widened a bit before she could control her reaction. She laughed, but her voice carried a note of worry now. "I don't believe you're capable of doing that."

"It will be a shame to see you die in such a manner when a method much less painful is offered."

"If you tell me where Ayame is, it's gonna be me that kills you, not him. And I'm not very good with precision, so it'll be one spirit gun blast. You won't feel a thing." Yusuke knew that without her knowledge, it could be too late when they finally got to Ayame. It was better, in this case, to bargain with the enemy.

Yayoi was no longer so confident. "Well...I..."

"Weigh your options carefully," Emiko muttered.

Yayoi sighed. She knew she had no chance of escape now, but she had not planned on this. She had not known that Kuwabara could cut through her territory in the first place, proof of how ill prepared she had been. "I will tell you where she is, but I cannot guarantee that you will get her back."

"Our existence makes it a guarantee."

"You're a little to philosophical for me, Fox boy," Yayoi replied sardonically. "She's not in demon world yet, but she will be soon. Tamasine, Tomo, and Raidon will make sure of that."

"Why?" Yusuke asked, causing her to scowl.

"Why? Like I said, she's your weakness. Once she's out of the way, you'll be vulnerable. Maybe even willing to give up your own life to save hers." Yayoi had to smirk a little at that thought.

"But why there?"

Yayoi chuckled. "I guess you aren't nearly as smart as your bandit friend over here. Demon world is a big place. With any luck, you won't find her before it's too late. In human world, it's too easy. Missing person ads and so forth. You know what I'm talking about."

"All that jus' to get at Urameshi? I don't get it."

Yayoi scoffed at Kuwabara. "_You're_ an idiot, so I expected as much."

Kurama turned to his human friend. "Undeniably, Yusuke is strong. He is one of Koenma's most valuable weapons. With him out of the way, more demons could pass into human world. Even with the rest of us here, Yusuke's presence is almost a requirement. We could manage without him for a while, but his name is well known in demon world. Knowledge that he is gone would cause an outpouring of demons into human world. We wouldn't be able to hold them all off."

Kuwabara nodded in silence, understanding the simplified version fairly well. Yusuke had been listening as well, and he was becoming impatient.

"Where are these demon assholes anyway?"

Yayoi seemed to have had enough. "Haven't you heard enough to make you realize the situation is hopeless? One of you has to die to solve this."

"I'm not letting her die," Yusuke said quietly. "It's my fault she got involved in this."

"Yusuke," Kurama interjected softly. "I do not mean to play the devil's advocate, but-"

"Then don't," Yusuke interrupted piercingly. He sighed. "We have to find her. You," he said, pointing at Yayoi. "You're coming with us. Show us where we can find her, and I'll let you go in demon world instead of kicking your ass here."

"I do not fear death."

"Fool." Hiei snorted. "He's offering to take pity on you, and you won't accept it. Do not let your pride get in the way."

There was a brief silence before Yayoi seemed to break a little. "This was supposed to be simple. None of you were supposed to get inside my territory in the first place!"

Kurama looked at her for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he realized that a very important piece of the puzzle was still missing. "Who is in charge of this?"

Yayoi folded her arms. "Raidon is. He sent me here to get the girl. He said it would be worth my while to help him, and the reward would be co-leadership of human world...once we conquer it, that is."

"Whore," Yusuke spat. "It's only 'cause you're a chick."

Yayoi clenched her hand into a tight fist, but didn't say anything.

Emiko watched her reaction. "You love him, don't you?"

Startlingly, Yayoi frowned, crossing her arms and looking away.

Emiko smiled a little. "I understand now. He promised you that you would always be his right hand woman if you did him a favor."

Yayoi's lip trembled, and it was then that everyone saw her for what she truly was. An average demon, dragged into a tangled affair because of a simple emotion. She loved Raidon enough to risk her life for him.

"You're lovesick for something that may not even be real," Emiko reasoned.

"Don't say that!" Yayoi cried, tears brimming unexpectedly in her amber eyes.

"It's the truth, Yayoi. To be frank, if he doesn't already love you, he never will. Ultimately, you would be living a lie. I can tell that you don't want to do that. And what if he lied to you about all of this? He could be using you."

"Stop! Stop it!" she cried, tears flowing down her cheeks and dripping from her chin. "It's not true!"

As Yayoi crumpled to the ground on her knees and wept into her clawed hands, Emiko did something unexpected. Stepping forward, she crouched and put her hand on the sobbing demon's back comfortingly.

"He doesn't love me at all," Yayoi said between sobs. "I'm such a fool."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. You're heartbroken. Now where the hell is Ayame?"

Yayoi looked up, her pretty face tearstained. "I'll take you there."

END CHAPTER

I love names that mean stuff. Examples: Yayoi March, Tamasine and Tomo twin, Raidon – thunder god...

Ack! My shirt is riding up and my pants are falling down!

Haru: That was more than I needed to hear. Could someone beat me with a mallet until I forget what she just said?

Authoress out and about.


	8. Love, Loss, Life

Authoress...you know.

I ate too much ramen. I feel sick now. Oh well. I'll recover.

By the way, I don't know if I mentioned this: for the full story of Emiko the Vixen and Kurama being lovers, read Emiko's story in the Yujo Chronicles, written by the oh-so-talented PenPusherM.

START CHAPTER

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

A clawed hand pointing to a door was the last thing that Yayoi could offer them.

"This is the only place that I know where they could be," she said in a quiet, slightly apologetic tone. "I was not a main figure in this whole thing. I was a pawn, so I do no know any other location where they could have gone."

"Thank you, Yayoi," Emiko said, offering her a smile.

Kuwabara glanced around. They were standing in an alley a few miles from Kurama's house, situated between an old warehouse and a drug store. The streets were dark by now; a few hours had passed. A siren wailed past, and the mismatched group of humans and demons froze until they were out of sight.

"There's somethin' creepy about this place, Urameshi." Yusuke turned to cast a curious look at his friend. "I don't really know what it is, but I just get the feeling that we're not supposed to be here."

Yayoi sighed audibly, and Kuwabara shot her an annoyed look. "I've got spirit awareness, okay?"

"What you are currently feeling is the energy from three demons, one unconscious human, and the beginnings of a portal to demon world. Once it is complete, the human-"

"Ayame," Yusuke interjected.

"-will be thrown into the portal," Yayoi continued as if Yusuke had not spoken.

Kurama took a cautious step closer, extending his senses to feel out his way through the room. He shut his emerald eyes momentarily. He could feel two demons and Ayame in the main room, and a large surge of power showed exactly where the portal was. The energy of a third demon came from a room down a hallway lined with crackling silver fire.

He opened his eyes once more. "Thankfully, we are not outnumbered. There are indeed three demons, but only two are in the first room. I believe that they too are pawns, and the real threat is down the hall."

Yusuke punched his fist, eyes gleaming with pre-battle energy. "So let's go in there and kick some demon ass already!"

Kurama frowned. "It is not that simple, Yusuke. One false move, and Ayame could be killed. The two demons that are holding her captive are not to be underestimated."

Yusuke frowned, lowering his fist. "So then what are we supposed to do?"

Meanwhile-

"Tomo, why do we have to keep this human here?" asked a human-like demon, rubbing his eyes. "I'm tired."

The other demon, Tomo, sighed. "Raidon told us to. We have to obey his orders, even if we don't really understand them. Besides, Tamasine, we're getting paid for helping him out."

Tamasine's crystal blue eyes were thoughtful as he looked at his brother. He and Tomo were twins, not identical, but looked very similar. Their eyes were the exact same color, and sandy blonde hair, cut choppily, fell into their eyes in the same way. A streak of red in his bangs set Tamasine apart from his brother, and was one of few ways to tell them apart.

The pair of demons appeared to be men in their late teens or twenties, attractive in the same sense as danger luring people curiously to learn more about something. They were classic punks, dressed in black.

They were human-like in appearance with the exception of navy blue markings in the shape of elongated diamonds that spanned across their cheeks. The marks on Tomo's face were thin; those on Tamasine's were thicker. Their skin was faintly blue, and the tinge was invisible in most light. A muscular build had allowed them to meet their fair share of women, but both demons were without mates. Considering demons mated for life and the twins were young, it was not that big a deal to either of them.

"So all we have to do is watch over her until the portal is done?" Tamasine asked, glancing at Ayame's limp body. They had placed her on a threadbare blanket that they had spread out on the floor, having some empathy for her and enough of a conscience to realize it was a kind thing to do.

Tomo nodded, also looking at Ayame. "When she wakes up, I think I'd like to know who she is."

"Her name is Ayame Kushinjyo. She is fifteen, and attends Sarayashiki Junior High; a classmate of Yusuke Urameshi."

Turning around, the twins found themselves looking at their boss, the demon lord Raidon. He too was human-like at first glance, but small details that proved otherwise soon became apparent.

His fingernails were claws; long and black, sharp and curved inward. His eyes were a misty aquamarine that gleamed when he smiled. Pointed fangs protruded over his lower lip, causing him to look like a vampire. Long, pointed ears stuck out from under his spiky black hair.

"She's crucial to our plans, so keep a close eye on her," he continued. His voice was light and musical, exactly the opposite of what one might expect if they judged him by how he looked. Dressing to impress was clearly not his strongpoint. "Yayoi didn't hit her too hard, so she'll be awake soon."

Tamasine nodded obediently. Tomo frowned. "And what do we do if Yusuke Urameshi and his friends show up here to save her?"

Raidon laughed. "Yayoi is the only other person who knows where we are, and she's in love with me. She'd never betray us."

Tamasine was not convinced. "Do you love her back?"

Raidon looked at him for a moment before answering in an icy tone, one that they had never heard him use before, "No."

_Yayoi _

Listening outside at the door, I could hear everything Raidon said.

So it was true, everything the fox demoness Emiko had told me. Before, when I said I was a pawn, a small figure in a large plot, I had only been guessing based on what she had said. Now I knew for real that I had been chasing a dream that would never come true.

But yet...I still love Raidon. I can't get over that feeling, even when I know that it will do no good. A love that is not returned can never be love, but that cannot and will not help me to know it. No matter what I tell myself or the people around me, I cannot control my heart.

Life will go on, with or without Raidon by my side, and I know that.

It doesn't really matter all that much, I suppose. There are other fish in the sea, as they say.

But what happens when you only want one of them?

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

Ayame stirred, catching the attention of the demons around her, all of which waited patiently until she opened her eyes.

Her head ached from where Yayoi had hit her with...something. Her memory went foggy as she attempted to recall the events that occurred earlier.

"Where am I?" she asked groggily.

Tamasine found that he was replying without thinking when he said, "This is an old factory that isn't used anymore. It'll be torn down in a week."

Ayame looked at him for only a moment before her eyes widened and she scrambled away from them. She was almost to the wall when a slender rope of silver energy caught her around the waist and pulled her back.

When she turned to see who had captured her, her heart sped up. She could already tell that this demon was much stronger than the other two just by looking at how he carried himself.

Ayame was growing more and more suspicious, and she had yet to notice the portal due to her lingering blurred senses. "Who are you?"

Raidon laughed. "You ask way too many questions, kiddo."

Ayame's body tensed. "Call me 'kiddo' again, and I'll smash your face in," she snarled, not really weighing her odds in that impending fight before speaking.

He laughed at her again, wiping the back of his hand across his eyes, more for effect than anything else, miming wiping tears of laughter away. "You're too much. It's a pity I have to toss you into demon world where you'll undoubtedly die."

"You didn't sound too upset about that," she replied coldly.

"Oh, cheer up!" Raidon said, pulling on the silver rope to haul her closer, having to admit to himself that for a human, she was putting up a great deal of resistance. He yanked her to her feet, shifting the rope to hold her arms down.

He reached out a clawed hand to seize her chin, tilting her head up to get a better look at her face. She dared not lash out and hit him when his claws were so close to her throat.

"You're kind of cute, for a human," Raidon observed, smiling at the annoyed look Ayame was giving him. He traced a curving line down her cheek with his clawed index finger, sweeping over her cheekbone and skimming over her lower lip. She drew back as far as she could.

With a sigh, Raidon released her from the spirit energy bonds that were holding her. "My name is Raidon Aguri. I'm a demon."

"I noticed that," she replied acidly, clearly in a bad mood as she rubbed the pink spots on her arms left by the ropes.

Tamasine stepped forward. "I'm Tamasine Kurogasa, and this is my twin brother Tomo." He stuck out a hand in a friendly gesture. Ayame recoiled as if it was a poisonous serpent, and he lowered it swiftly. "Sorry."

Ayame scowled at Raidon. "Are you the one in charge here?"

Raidon nodded, beaming at her with boyish energy.

"Then you're the one who gets to hear this: go to hell, you bastard."

The boyish smile faded. "That's not very polite." Suddenly, the ropes entwined her again, tugging her close to Raidon's face. He placed a hand at the nape of her neck, holding her close enough to feel his breath.

"Don't forget who the strongest one here is, Aya."

"My name is Ayame," she replied coolly.

"Call it a nickname, from me to you."

Ayame twisted her head to look away from him, a look of disgust marring her face. "Don't call me that. Only people I like can call me Aya."

"You don't like me?" Raidon asked with mock surprise. He chuckled a little, ruffling her hair. She jerked back, not seeming to notice the scratch left by one of his claws on her cheek.

"Pretty much."

"That's awfully rude, with all things considered."

She flashed him a determined smile. "I never said I was polite."

"Neither did I," he reminded her. By this time, Tamasine and Tomo were as good as forgotten. A careful verbal war was being waged.

"I didn't ask if you did. I really don't give a damn about any aspect of your life."

"Watch your tongue, or your life will end early," Raidon warned, his eyes flashing dangerously. She was pleased to have made him angry.

Ayame smiled at him, laughing lightly. "I never thought a demon lord would get this upset just because some human girl was being mean to him."

Raidon pulled her close to his face, silencing her laugh instantly. "Does that make you uncomfortable?" He laughed when silence fell in the room. "Are you angry that I'm so close to you?" He slipped an arm around her shoulders and nuzzled her neck.

She pulled away as hard as she could, furious. "Touch me again and I'll kill you."

_Ayame?_

Ayame drew in a sharp breath. Raidon hadn't reacted to the voice, meaning it was purely in her mind.

_Ayame? _

She wasn't quite sure how to respond, so she thought, _What? _

_Good. You can use thought-speech. This is Hiei. _

Ayame was startled. _Hiei? _

_Yes. Listen carefully. Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Emiko, Yayoi, and myself are all outside the front door to the warehouse you are currently in._

_What? You are? Who's Yayoi? _

She could hear Hiei heave a mental sigh. _The cat-demon,_ he replied, choosing only to answer her last question.

_Oh...are you here to help me? _

Silence for a moment. _If you wish to call it that, then it's close enough. We're here more to prevent the destruction of the human world. What we need you to do is this: somehow, you need to be in a different room when we come in so you aren't killed. Get the main demon to take you to his room or something. _

_What? _

_You heard me. _

After that, Hiei broke the mental link, and Ayame was aware of Raidon giving her a curious look.

"What was that about?"

Ayame looked at him curiously. "What?"

Raidon mirrored the curious look, not seeming to notice that he had let the silvery ropes fall harmlessly to the floor. Ayame noticed too, and realized that it might be her only chance.

_I'm going to kill you, Hiei, _she thought moments before she let herself crumple into Raidon's arms.

"Ayame?"

She opened her eyes slowly. "I-I'm okay." She tried to stand by herself, and swayed on the spot.

"No you aren't," Raidon replied.

Tamasine was looking at her worriedly. "Is she sick?"

"I think so," replied Raidon, his voice carrying a slight tone of concern. He sighed a moment later. "Tamasine, could you take her to my room? She should get a little bit of rest. It would be unfair for her to die of an illness instead of a demon getting her."

Tamasine made a slight face at his reasoning, but nodded and took Ayame away. She had shut her eyes to make her act more believable, and opened them only when she was placed upon the bed.

Tamasine took a seat beside the bed, frowning at her.

"Sorry," she muttered, averting her eyes from his face.

"Don't be," he replied. "You're sick."

Ayame felt like crying then. She didn't want Tomo and Tamasine to die. They were too nice. Neither of them deserved a fate like that.

_Yusuke? _Unsure if he could hear her too, she waited.

A moment later, she heard his uncertain reply. _Ayame? Are you okay?_

_Yusuke, please don't kill all the demons. _

_What? _he replied, his tone incredulous.

Ayame struggled to think of the right words to use. _I don't want Tomo and Tamasine to die._

_Who are they? _

_Two of the demons, _she whispered.

The reply she received was silence.

"Ayame?"

Startled, Ayame turned to Tamasine, having forgotten he was there. "Yes?"

He was frowning at her. "Why does Raidon want to kill you so badly?"

"I'm...friends with Yusuke." Ayame limited the word choice to 'friend' for lack of something else to say. After all, that's all they were to one another.

"Oh. Maybe...I could help you," he offered awkwardly.

Ayame sat up, her full attention on him. "What?" she whispered.

Tamasine fidgeted, averting his piercingly blue eyes from her. "I was thinking about it...and I realized you shouldn't go to demon world just because you're friends with Yusuke. Humans and demons should settle their differences without using dirty tricks like this one. As soon as the coast is clear, I'll help you get out of here. Tomo's going to distract Raidon."

"No," she muttered. Startling Tamasine by getting up swiftly, she said hurriedly, "You have to warn him! They're outside! Hurry!"

"What? Who's out there?"

"Just go!" Ayame cried feverishly, rushing to push him out of the room.

Her warning arrived a moment before Yusuke blasted the door open with a spirit gun. She was standing there beside Tamasine when everyone seemed to freeze in their tracks.

Yusuke lowered his hand slowly, his eyes flickering to Tamasine. A spark flashed there for a moment, and that was when Ayame knew that he didn't know which demon was which.

"Tomo! Tamasine! Get out of the way!" she shouted.

Her shouts were enough to make them look in her direction, responding to their names, and Yusuke leveled his spirit gun at Raidon.

"Wait!" Emiko called, throwing forth a stream of powder that rendered all three demons immobile. Paralysis powder, Ayame soon realized.

Tamasine had been unbalanced, and teetered dangerously before Ayame grabbed a hold of his shoulder to steady him.

_Yusuke Urameshi_

Why the hell won't she let me kill all three demons? They shouldn't be here, they kidnapped her, and they're threatening to put every human here at risk to get at me.

She's standing next to one of the twins, hanging onto his shoulder so he won't fall down. Why doesn't she just let him fall? I came here to help her, and she's helping the enemy?

Ayame was giving me a pained look. "I didn't really get to explain to you before. Tamasine and Tomo, the twins, were going to help me escape. Raidon is the only one here to have actually done something wrong."

Tamasine wobbled and his knees gave out; an aftereffect of the powder being physical and mental weakness. Ayame crouched down next to him to ask if he was okay.

Does she like him or something? I don't really care. Then why am I thinking about it? Why did I have to dream about her last night?

Ayame and I were in a field, sitting side by side. She was content to pluck the petals off a fragile daisy as the wind whipped her hair behind her. She smiled at me, abandoning the daisy to seek out my hand.

A dream that short can influence a lot.

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

Raidon groaned as the original paralysis wore off and he was hit by a wave of dizziness coupled with the sudden inability to stand. He too crumpled to the ground, but this time it was Yayoi who rushed to see if he was okay.

She cradled his body as if he were a child, her eyes full of worry as they waited to meet his.

Raidon's eyes focused finally on the woman holding him. "Yayoi? What are you doing here?"

Yayoi's eyes brimmed with tears as she confessed, "I lead them here."

"I would have expected as much from you."

Yayoi choked on a sob. "I love you, Raidon, whether or not you feel the same towards me. I didn't betray you. I helped you. You haven't done anything wrong. We can all go home, to demon world, together."

Hiei scoffed. "Nothing wrong?"

Yayoi chose to ignore him. "Please, Raidon," she pleaded softly.

Without warning, Raidon swung up a hand to pull her head towards his, an unmistakable kiss. He closed his eyes, savoring her taste.

Yusuke rolled his eyes, noticing that Ayame was still beside Tamasine. No one had gone to check on Tomo.

"Tamasine, can you move?"

"I...don't think so."

Ayame seized his hand. "Squeeze my hand."

Tamasine tried. The pressure applied was feeble, but there nonetheless.

Yusuke allowed himself to glance away from Ayame and focus his chocolate brown eyes on Raidon instead. "Now what are we gonna do with him?"

END CHAPTER

Is ten pages long enough?

Authoress out.


	9. Empathy

Authoress here.

Wow. PenPusherM is heading off to Florida...(grumbles) And so I have to write like a maniac until she gets back since she'll have no access to the internet.

I'm spending my time over Spring Break well, huh?

START CHAPTER

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

"Now what are we gonna do with him?" Yusuke asked, frowning at Raidon and Yayoi. The two were embracing each other, Yayoi's tears flowing freely to land on the other demon.

Yusuke took the luxury of a quick glance around. Emiko, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara were paying attention to Raidon and Yayoi. He was the only one watching Tamasine and Ayame. Tomo had crumpled to the ground. No one had rushed to his aid. Ayame noticed that at the same time as Yusuke, and stood up, letting Tamasine's clawed hand slip from hers.

Somehow, Tomo managed to sit up as she walked towards him, putting a hand to his forehead and moaning groggily. "Damn you, fox," he grumbled at Emiko. "That shit gives you one hell of a headache."

Emiko's green eyes showed her curiosity. "You should have been rendered the same as those two," she said, her eyes flickering to the other two demons. "Why do you still have so much strength left?"

"I'm an elemental like you, earth...but I'm a really crappy one. I have some resistance to your poisons, but not completely." He groaned again. "Shit."

With Ayame's help, he managed to stand and accompany her to his brother. Ayame placed a hand on Tamasine's arm and was suddenly hit with a jolt of pain. Pulling back, she felt the pain lessen. Her eyes went wide. Why could she feel his pain?

True, her memory of earlier was blurry, but she was positive that this didn't happen before she had been kidnapped. Had something been done to her?

Her thoughts were forced from that as a real jolt hit her, this time being electricity. Raidon was standing, surrounded by a crackling orb of electricity. She let out a cry, the pain intense and white-hot. A moment later, and it had stopped. Raidon kept his hand raised in her direction.

"Underestimate me and pay the price," he panted, having only just recovered from Emiko's numbing pollen. "Her life hangs in the balance. Choose wisely, detective. Your life or hers."

"Don't pull this shit with me!" Yusuke snarled. "Let her go, or you die now!"

Yayoi had been forced back by the electrical current surrounding the man she loved. Now, she struggled to move once again to his side. "Raidon! Stop it! Stop it!" she begged.

She had opened her mouth to repeat the plea a third time, but the words never left her mouth. A bolt of lightning struck her chest. Her mouth formed a startled "O" as her body sunk to the ground, cords of blue light flickering around her for a moment. She fell on her side. Tears streaked down her lifeless cheeks to make several small puddles under her cheek. Her eyes remained open, staring blankly at nothing. Ayame screamed her name once before her heart stopped.

Ayame was hit by another wave of pain so intense that she sucked in her breath sharply until it subsided a moment later. Yayoi's heart had been hit with too much electricity, she realized, causing it to burst and cook inside her chest.

Tears slid down the human girl's cheeks to match the ones on Yayoi's. The second time this had happened to Ayame, and the pain had increased. Her eyes showed that the pain she felt was more than mental.

"Raidon!" she cried out, standing so abruptly that tears flew from her eyes to spatter Tamasine and Tomo. "What did you do to me?"

Raidon spared a glance at her, a smile curving on his handsome face. "Nothing, really. I heightened your spirit awareness to a very high extent. You don't just sense energy now. You feel it. You feel the pain of others."

"I've heard of that," Kurama muttered. "Koenma mentioned it once that there were people like that around the world, but he had never met one. They can sense the pain of others, and make excellent healers. Most of them are from the Ice World. Seeing it in a human is unheard of. The shock could kill her."

Raidon nodded. "The best thing about it is that she's bonded to me by it. If I die, so does she."

"You're bluffing."

"Make the shot and find out," he replied levelly.

Yusuke raised his hand to point an index finger at Raidon. Ayame's heart thudded in her chest. She bit her lip hard, fear getting the best of her. If Raidon spoke the truth, she could die in a matter of seconds. He could also kill her with his lightning if any of the others made a move.

That was when it hit her. Raidon was watching the others, not her. She could escape before he could stop her.

Her eyes landed on Yayoi's body, and something inside her snapped. Without thinking, Ayame stood up and rushed towards Raidon.

"This is for Yayoi!" she shouted, aiming a punch through the lightning. The beams of electricity hit her arm like bits of broken glass, leaving beaded red lines along her flesh. She did not notice.

Her punch connected with the side of his face, knocking him to the side momentarily and causing him to lose his balance. They rolled for perhaps a few seconds before he had her pinned to the floor. His cheek was red, his lip bleeding.

He panted, his breath hissing through his teeth. His eyes were locked to hers, and his clawed hand sought out her cheek. He pressed his bare flesh to hers, and she let out a cry of pain. She could feel the anguish of his entire life, mental and physical, pouring out into her.

Yusuke heard her cry out in a strangled voice, "Shoot...him!"

He hesitated. If he did, it could kill her too.

"Now!" she shrieked.

A second later, a blast of blue light disintegrated Raidon, his charred ashes floating on the air current generated by the blast to drift harmlessly away. Ayame felt the pain from that too, and she let out a strangled gasp before her body went limp. Yusuke rushed to her side, and seized her wrist.

"She's still alive...Raidon was lying." He breathed a sigh of relief.

Kurama was beside him in a moment. "Yes, but if she can still feel the pain of others, we need to find a solution right away."

Yusuke's eyes narrowed at the pile of ashes. "I think I have it figured out. Hiei, gimmie your sword."

"Not a chance in hell," he replied coldly.

Yusuke grabbed the blade of Hiei's unsheathed katana tightly and pulled his hand down, gashing his palm. Ayame didn't stir.

"She didn't feel that. Sensing pain was all that was tied to Raidon. She'll be fine."

"But you won't," Emiko replied coolly. "You're going to bleed to death if you don't sit still and give me your hand."

Tamasine and Tomo were watching from the other side of the room. Tamasine spoke first. "So she's okay?"

"She will be, yes," Emiko replied, using a piece of her sleeve to stop the bleeding on Yusuke's hand. "As for you two...I'm not sure."

Tomo shut his eyes briefly. "We committed a crime, huh?"

"More or less," Yusuke snapped. "You kidnapped a human."

Tamasine said sharply, "No, _we _didn't."

Yusuke's dark eyes locked onto the demons aqua orbs. "What?"

Tamasine drew himself up, and repeated loudly, "No we didn't. Yayoi is the one who kidnapped her. We watched over her, nothing more than that."

Yusuke opened his mouth to reply, but Tomo cut him off. "We're still guilty of aiding in Raidon's plot, but we escape the charges of kidnapping."

Kurama was silent. He knew that they had helped Raidon, and that the charges for a breach in the security of worlds were serious. The portal that lead to demon world, despite Raidon's death, was still there. It had stopped growing by this time and was incomplete, but still an issue.

"How are we gonna get rid of that portal?" asked Kuwabara, who was growing a little uneasy knowing that demons could come out of he could fall in at any given moment.

"I don't know," admitted Kurama. "But perhaps one of you does?"

Tamasine looked at the ground. Tomo was frowning. "It was something Raidon did. I have no idea how we could destroy it."

Yusuke was oblivious to the conversation between them. Moments before, he swore he had seen Ayame's eyelids move and thought that maybe she had woken up. She hadn't, but he still held her in his arms as he crouched on the floor beside her.

_Yusuke Urameshi_

Ayame is still unconscious. If Raidon weren't already dead, I'd kill him again for this. He murdered that cat-demon, but what do I care when you compare it to this? He had her kidnapped, he tortured her, and he would have killed her too if we hadn't shown up.

Holy shit. I just noticed. Her arm is bleeding pretty bad. That electricity was like spikes of broken glass that she dragged her arm through when he punched him. It was kinda stupid for her to do something like that, but it pissed of Raidon, so why not. I have to do something before she bleeds to death.

I didn't have any bandages, so I wound up shredding my shirt to stop the bleeding. Emiko was watching me, and seemed to realize what I was doing pretty fast. She ran over to help me, tying the knots that my fumbling hands couldn't seem to make.

"Yusuke," Kurama said once we had finished. "We figured it out."

"Figured what out?" I really meant it. I hadn't been paying attention to what they were talking about.

"You won't be happy about this," Hiei said calmly. "You missed."

I stood up, forgetting that I was holding Ayame in my arms. "What?"

Kurama sighed. "It's the only way this is possible. When you hit Raidon, you only destroyed his body. His soul escaped us. He has the power to posses people, and a second before you shot him, he fled."

I swore so profusely that any mother (besides mine) would've slapped me.

"Hiei could sense the psychic when Yayoi was following Ayame. Can't he just sense Raidon again?"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Kurama replied. "He already possessed someone. If it's a human, his energy will be masked. If it was another demon, he will have the same amount of energy as that demon, masking his own behind it so he appears normal."

I swore again, sinking back down to the ground. This was the second time I'd missed hitting a target on this case. The first time, I hit almost hit Ayame. The second, I let a dangerous criminal get away.

At least Ayame is okay now.

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

"Does that mean we gotta hunt him down again?" asked Kuwabara.

"I suppose it does," replied Kurama. "But it will be more difficult this time. We have no leads."

"Correction," said Tamasine, standing up. Tomo followed suit. "You have two."

END CHAPTER

I hope writers block doesn't hit me any time soon. I have a week off school!

(dances around in celebration)

Haru: Kindly ignore her. She's an idiot. Well, the end of the chapter. You know what to do. After you read it, review it!

Authoress out!


	10. Get out of my head!

Authoress here.

My hands are cold. So are my feet.

I broke my promise of having a chapter up each day. I can't think of what to write! I'm sorry!

I'm considering changing the rating of this story to "R" because of the language. It may actually get worse if Yusuke's mood doesn't improve.

Another name that means something: Emiko – blessed, beautiful child. I really got her number there! (cough PenPusherM cough).

START CHAPTER

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

Yusuke's chocolate brown eyes narrowed skeptically at the demon addressing him. "You know where that asshole went?"

Tamasine blanched under the look Yusuke was giving him. "I..._we_," he corrected himself. "_We _have an idea."

"An idea isn't enough," snapped Yusuke. "She almost died because of that asshole! She's an innocent – a civilian! She wasn't even involved in all this crap, and he targeted her!"

Tomo stepped forward. "We're almost one hundred percent sure that we know where he is, if that's enough for you."

Kurama looked grave. "He could be anywhere. How could you two possibly know where he might be? I have the distinct impression that you aren't telling us everything you know."

Two identical pairs of aquamarine eyes were lowered to the floor.

"Not entirely. I know a few things that Tomo doesn't," Tamasine replied.

Tomo frowned. "And I know some that he doesn't."

"Classic," Kurama replied. "Raidon tells his lackeys different information so unless you have both of them in your grasp, you can never locate him. Tell us what you know."

Tomo started after a pause. "He mentioned a safe house in demon world that we could all go to if there was any trouble, but he didn't tell us where it was."

Tamasine spoke next. "A cabin in the mountains was another possibility, but he didn't specify what mountain range."

Tomo went next, the pair of brothers swiftly making the choice of speaking alternately. "A condo somewhere in America."

"His mother's home in demon world, deep in a forest."

"A dojo. He didn't tell us the name, or where it was."

Both were suddenly silent. "That's all the more we know, I guess," Tomo said quietly.

"Oddly specific," Hiei remarked in his usual sarcastic manner.

"Five possible locations," Kurama mused. "He never figured in the possibility of betrayal when you first began this project. So the only thing that you hoped to accomplish was killing Yusuke?"

"No," Tamasine whispered. "Raidon wanted to isolate all of you in turn by taking the person that you value most and offering their life in exchange for your own." He glanced at Ayame. "He never intended to let her live. Your arrival wasn't planned on."

"If Yayoi hadn't helped you," Tomo continued as his brother fell silent. "Ayame wouldn't be alive now. She deserves a proper burial. It's the very least we can do." After saying that, Tomo cast a bleary glance at Yayoi's charred corpse. "I loved her," he whispered thickly. At that, he went to her side and sank to his knees with his back to them so they could not see him weep.

The mention of her name had been too much for him. Having never been able to confess his feelings, he was left with the heavy weight of regret sitting upon his shoulders. He could never rest now that he had unfinished business. If he was to be struck down there and now, he felt that his tortured spirit would linger on this earth for eternity.

Tamasine moved to follow, sensing his brother's pain, but decided against it. "I think Raidon left five locations on purpose...one for each of you."

Emiko and Kurama exchanged glances.

"Yes, fox. You too," he commented, catching Emiko's startled look. "He must have figured you in as a threat. After all, you are very capable of taking care of yourself."

Emiko would have smiled proudly if the situation had been different. Now, her mind was occupied. "Did Raidon ever mention his mother?"

Tamasine paused thoughtfully for a moment. "In passing, yes."

"Her name?" Emiko pressed.

"I think it was...Kaoru. Kaoru Nozomi. They had different last names, her and Raidon."

"Kaoru Nozomi was killed three years ago. Caught in the crossfire, you could say, during a conflict relating to her husband. He died shortly after. Their house was burned to the ground," Hiei replied placidly.

Kuwabara nudged him with his elbow. "How'd you know? Hey shrimp, was she your _girlfriend_?"

"I spent years looking for my sister. Kaoru's was only one of many unfortunate endings that I witnessed. She is only another name to me, nothing more," Hiei replied coldly, stepping away from Kuwabara to avoid more jabs in his shoulder. How he longed to just slice off that arm. But he mustn't.

"I suppose that eliminates one possibility. If the house no longer exists, he couldn't have gone there," Emiko reasoned.

"Good point," Yusuke said, his eyes on Ayame.

_Yusuke Urameshi_

She's still not awake. I know her pulse is steady because my hand hasn't moved from her wrist. I'm being really paranoid, but I think it's understandable. She could've died.

How do you explain something like that to someone's parents? Come to think of it, I'm not totally sure she _has _parents. They weren't home when I...shot her house. I'm still embarrassed about that. It's disgraceful that after all this time and training with Genkai, I could miss an easy target like that stupid demon kid.

I've been thinking, though. If it hadn't been for that demon, I wouldn't have met Ayame. I keep thinking that Raidon would've just killed her if it hadn't happened. He would've gotten annoyed with her being just some other human girl with no purpose. I hate thinking shit like that.

I'm kinda scared that something'll happen between Ayame and me. I only wanted to be friends with Keiko, and look what happened there. I guess the older you get, the more dangerous a friendship can become. I don't think things will ever be the same between us.

I never mentioned it to the others, but Keiko was the one who dumped me. She told me she needed time apart, and that I should just move on and forget about her. I talked to her the other day. She knows about Ayame. She saw us together, and is apparently upset that I moved on a bit faster than she had hoped.

I can still hear what she said reverberating in my mind. "How can you cast me aside so easily? I thought I meant something to you!" I find that a little hypocritical, considering _she _broke things off with _me_.

What the hell am I doing, thinking about Keiko at a time like this?

"What were the other places again?" I asked, wrenching my gaze from Ayame's peaceful, unconscious features.

Emiko replied smoothly, "A safe house in demon world, a cabin in an unknown mountain range, a condo somewhere in America, and an unknown dojo."

"A spirit is too weak to cross oceans without a host, and even then, the trip would take time. I don't think he is in America," Kurama reasoned.

"Right," Emiko agreed. "So then that leaves three."

"Do we really hafta find this guy?" Kuwabara asked, frowning thoughtfully.

"No," Hiei replied coldly. "Unless, of course, you care about human world."

Kurama reached up to smooth his hair back, a kind of thoughtful, stress-relieving gesture. "Hiei has a point. If we let him roam free, this portal will become big enough for demons to slip through. Right now, the lower-class demons are trying. It is only a matter of time before they succeed. For the time being, I think it would be best to stretch a kakai barrier across the portal that will grow at the same rate to cover the entire gap at all times. This little hole could cause some major problems," he finished.

"No kidding," I replied, adjusting my grip on Ayame so I could stand up.

Tomo and Tamasine seemed to be growing gradually more and more uncomfortable. In fact, neither of them had spoken for quite some time. Identical aqua eyes were focused on the floor beneath their feet.

They were the least of my concerns. At that moment, Ayame opened her eyes. Her head had been resting on my shoulder. I was holding her kinda like you'd hold a platter; out in front of you in both arms, her torso against my chest. I could feel her breath against my neck. When she opened her eyes, she must've gotten a nice view of where my neck connects to my chin.

"Yu...suke?" she whispered.

I turned my head to look down at the mystified girl in my arms. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision so she could see what was going on.

In the background, the others were using their spirit energy to make a barrier for the hole, but I barely noticed.

Kurama called out to me, "Yusuke? We're going to go to my human mother's home to sort things out. Meet us there, all right?"

I nodded, my eyes still on Ayame.

_Yu Yu Hakusho _

Ayame smiled at Yusuke after they had left. Leave it to Kurama to give them some space. "You saved me?"

"More or less. That asshole got away, though. His spirit got away, actually." Yusuke seemed rather glum admitting it. His mind was soon tugged to other thoughts as he felt Ayame's lips on his neck. "Ayame! What are you doing?"

She grinned. "Let's celebrate." She shifted in his arms, and soon her lips came down over his.

His index finger glowed blue, and he released Ayame so that she fell to the damp floor of the factory. He pointed his spirit gun at her.

"W-what are you doing?" she sputtered, sprawled on the floor, her expression incredulous.

"I know Ayame, and she's not that kinda girl. Get the hell out of her body, Raidon."

She giggled then, a shrill piercing sound that escalated until she had to pause to catch her breath. "You're a bit smarter than you look...but keep this in mind: this is still Ayame's body, and the conscious part of her mind is still active. She's fighting me right now to get control. I'll give her access to our speech centers for just a moment."

Yusuke's eyes widened, and his hands shook.

"Yusuke! Get out of here!" the true Ayame cried as soon as she was awarded control. It was creepy to watch her face. Her eyes were no longer under her control, and they glinted as she begged from Yusuke to flee while he had the chance. "He's gonna use me to kill you! Please, just get out of here!"

"Ayame!"

"Go!" she shrieked. Moments later, a satisfied smile rested on her face. Raidon had taken over once more.

Yusuke stood his ground. "I'm not gonna leave you here, Ayame! You must think I'm a real chicken."

Ayame-Raidon smiled wider. "Stupid choice, Detective. It's a real pity, though." He paused to meet Yusuke's eyes. "She really did like you, you know."

"You piece of shit!" Yusuke yelled, his hands shaking more now. "You piece of _shit_!"

A strange expression came over the possessed teenager's face at that moment. Yusuke heard then the most forceful words he had ever heard Ayame speak: "Get the hell out of my head!"

Her hands moved to press down and the sides of her skull. The part of her that was Raidon cried back, "Stop fighting me, Ayame!"

"_Get out of my head_!" she shouted again.

Her next words took Yusuke by surprise. "Yusuke! _Shoot me_!"

END CHAPTER

I know I haven't updated in quite some time, and I have a biology book project to thank for that. Curse you, oh-so-quirky-teacher-man! I'm currently reading a rather good book called _Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers_. It's actually really interesting, as morbid as that may sound.

I recommend it to those who are intrigued by forensics or just like books about dead people. Which could be that same two groups of people.

Authoress out for the count.


	11. The Final Battle

Authoress here.

Waaah! Sorry! So sorry! I thought I had already updated this chapter!

**START CHAPTER**

"Yusuke! _Shoot me_!"

Yusuke was frozen with his trademark spirit gun pointed at the teenage girl's head. She had given him a pleading look with her eyes that begged him to do as he was bid, but somehow he couldn't.

The half of her that was Raidon regained control and staggered to his feet, his front half bent forward as if he was a rag doll. He straightened up, and Yusuke heard the crack of his spine; no, it was Ayame's spine.

What would happen if he were to shoot her? Yusuke did not want to take that chance, but she had begged him to!

"Make your move, Urameshi," Raidon said. He grinned and chuckled. "Let's hope it's a smart one, for your sake. You don't want to hurt the girl, do you?"

**-Meanwhile-**

The rest of the group had long since reached Kurama's house, but Kurama was not one of the many sitting in his living room. Having sensed something wrong, he was running at his top speed, which was quite fast, back to the warehouse.

If he had been on his way, Yusuke surely would have reached his house by now. Kurama could only draw the conclusion that something that neither of them had predicted had happened.

He knew exactly what, too. Weakened and searching for a host, Raidon must have chosen either Yusuke or Ayame. Since Yusuke had spirit energy that was off the charts and Ayame was a simple human, it would be all too simple to invade her mind. She was currently possessed. If he didn't get there quickly, Yusuke would make a simple, stupid mistake that many people make.

Kurama would never get there in time. He didn't know what Yusuke would do. Many people thought that the possessed person could fight their way into control and shun the spirit to the depths of the underworld. In reality, it was much simpler. When Raidon was in charge of the body, Yusuke had to kill him. The key was this, however: do not draw blood. A nice, clean sprit gun blast would do the job.

But would Yusuke be able to do it?

**-Back at the warehouse-**

"Go ahead, Urameshi. Shoot me," Raidon taunted. He seemed to be fully in control now, but Yusuke could not tell.

A moment later, and Yusuke was glad he had not fired. Ayame was back, only for a moment, but long enough to cry, "You have to hit him! Not me!"

"Give him control!" Yusuke shouted back.

"Rooting for me now, eh?" Raidon had returned, and much to Yusuke's disbelief, had not heard what Ayame said. He didn't know that Ayame had taken over for a moment. She seemed to be blocking the memory somehow.

"You see, Detective? She's given up. I have total control of the body now!" Raidon began to laugh. "She realized it was hopeless to try to fight me!"

Kurama rushed towards the warehouse door. His hands pressed hard against the cold steel door. He was inside the warehouse as Yusuke shot the spirit gun directly at Ayame's head.

"Yusuke!" Kurama cried.

The blast seemed to be moving in slow motion. Raidon summed up his energy and prepared to leap from Ayame's body. Something stopped him.

A ghostly shadow of Ayame had closed a hand firmly around his ankle. She held him there until the orb was inches away, then gave up control once more and retreated in the back confines of her own mind. The last thing he saw was her ghostly smirk.

A terrible scream issued from her lips as Raidon's defenseless soul was hit by the full brunt of Yusuke's favorite weapon. His soul was expelled from her body, hovering a moment as a greenish-gold sphere, before it shattered into a million pieces. Raidon would never return.

Ayame slumped onto the ground as if she was a puppet that had just been cut free from its strings. Kurama and Yusuke dashed towards her, unaware that the rest of the group had followed after Kurama shortly after he left. They came into the doorway as well, Botan soaring above their heads on her oar.

"Oh my goodness!" she said softly. "A soul died here!"

She fell silent as she saw the expression on Yusuke's face. Kurama checked Ayame's pulse before stepping back to give Yusuke some room. His face was marred with an emotion that seemed to be a mix of anger and concern.

Ayame was unconscious again, her breaths ragged gasps that rattled in her chest. Holding Raidon back had taken its toll on her. Her body had to rest for a while before she could resume functioning normally. For the moment, she was in a coma-like sleep.

Yusuke picked her up gently.

Kurama and Hiei, who had not said much, were standing back to watch him.

His bright green eyes lingering on Hiei's ready sword, Kurama commented, "So your loyalties do lie with Yusuke, then?"

Hiei snorted. "Do not make the mistake of thinking that I exist to serve anyone besides myself, Kurama. I am now and always will be on my own side."

Kurama smiled, and did not reply. He had known Hiei for long enough to know that Hiei would defend Yusuke's life if it were to come tot hat, and yet he refused to admit it.

Botan landed gently and let her oar slide into oblivion until she needed it again. She walked slowly towards Yusuke and placed one hand on his shoulder gently. "Yusuke, it's over. She's going to be fine." With a sudden grin, she declared, "I'm the Grim Reaper, so I know these things!"

Her bubbly mood did not seem to improve Yusuke's, and she soon slunk back, defeated. His face remained stony.

"He almost killed her," Yusuke said suddenly. He could not life his eyes to meet anyone else's. "What the hell kind of spirit detective am I that I almost let some human girl get hurt?"

Kuwabara had also, oddly, been silent until now. "Shut up, Urameshi. We all have off days."

"I can't afford to have off days, Kuwabara."

Kuwabara's eyes narrowed into a glare. Before anyone could hold him back, he threw a punch that hit the back of Yusuke's head.

Chocolate brown eyes widened in surprise, and suddenly Ayame had been transferred to Kurama and Yusuke was beating on Kuwabara.

The ex-bandit fox smiled. "He may not know it, but Kuwabara has a way of making Yusuke feel better."

"Hn."

Kurama glanced down at Ayame as she stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked groggily when she realized who was holding her. "Ku-Kurama?"

The fox nodded, smiling. "Yusuke won. You're back to yourself again."

Ayame scrambled from Kurama's arms when she saw Yusuke. Something was different, however. Yusuke was moving quickly, much faster than a human should be able to.

"Whoah."

Kurama glanced curiously at Ayame as her eyes followed the battle. "Pardon?"

"They're moving fast...but I can _see _them."

Yusuke heard that, and paused mid-punch. "You couldn't before?" he asked, ignoring Kuwabara as he slid to the ground dizzily.

"No, I couldn't." Ayame was confused and slightly worried. "And my hands are…they're tingling. I think I got some of Raidon's powers when he died."

That statement was proven to be true a moment later when a blast of white lighting shot from her palms and shattered a support beam to the building. She gasped, clearly startled by it, as Yusuke seized Kuwabara's collar and her arm and dragged them from the rapidly crumbling building.

They were out the door, followed by the demon twins Tomo and Tamasine, before the stone walls of the building came down and turned to rubble. Tomo was carrying Yayoi's body, his eyes downcast.

"Don't do that again," Hiei advised coolly, dusting off his shirtsleeve.

"I didn't try to," Ayame muttered, crossing her arms. "I guess I...can't control it."

"That's okay," Yusuke replied, smiling for the first time in what felt like ages. "I think we can fix that."

END CHAPTER

Dooo...doo doo doo doo doooooo... (cough) Too much Phantom of the Opera for this authoress.

See ya next chapter!


	12. Damn Straight

Authoress here.

End of story, end of story! And I'm listening to Sandstorm! Whoo! (dances around)

**START CHAPTER**

_Yu Yu Hakusho_

"Okay...that was...better, I guess."

Ayame bit her lip and stared at the archery-style target she was supposed to be hitting. Over the past few weeks, her aim with her newly discovered electrical powers had been improving, but she still needed practice. Yusuke had volunteered to help train her since their powers worked in ways that were much closer than the others.

"Yeah, but I still missed," Ayame replied dully.

Yusuke came up behind her and positioned her arms by putting his around her. "Try from this angle."

"Okay..." Ayame replied, somewhat abashed. Yusuke had been dropping small hints that he liked her ever since what had happened with Raidon; just little things like doing favors specifically for her, making a special effort to have their fingers brush whenever he handed her something, and things of that nature.

The problem was that she didn't know if she would like him better as a friend or a boyfriend. She had never had a boyfriend before, so in some ways she was innocent to how it worked. What was flirting and what was just being friendly?

She had made Yusuke tell her in detail what had happened in the moments where Raidon had taken over her body since she couldn't remember herself. It seemed, however, at the same point every time he had told the story that he was leaving something out.

Right when he figured out that Raidon's spirit had entered Ayame's body, his description had become vague. He said something about her acting differently then before, then moved on to everything else. What had happened?

In her distraction, she didn't even notice when her violet tinged lightning completely missed the target.

"What happened there?" Yusuke asked, looking at her curiously.

Ayame slowly lowered her hands. What better time than now, when they were alone, to talk about it?

"Yusuke, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," replied the teen. He dropped to the ground and patted the tiles in front of him, grinning in his cocky way. "Pull up some floor."

Sinking down to the ground, Ayame fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve.

"Something wrong?"

Ayame chose her words carefully as she replied, "Do you remember telling me about...what happened when Raidon took over me?"

Yusuke's expression changed to one of stony-faced hatred for the now deceased demon. "How could I forget?"

"You're leaving something out," Ayame blurted suddenly. Yusuke's eyes locked to hers. "I don't want to pry, but I _need_ to know all the details. Don't leave stuff out."

"I'm don't want to talk about it right now," Yusuke replied quietly.

Ayame's expression changed abruptly. "You _are_ keeping something from me."

Yusuke sighed and put a hand to his head. This conversation was giving him a headache. How could he forget what happened? The memory was still fresh in his mind.

Her soft pink lips pressing against his, the hair on the back of his neck prickling, her arms linked gently around his neck...

A faint pink hue rose on the apples of his cheeks, and he pressed his fist to his mouth and glanced away, embarrassed.

"Yusuke..." Her tone was quiet and unsure. Then, sitting up straighter, she declared firmly, "Fine. I can wait until you're ready to tell me, but I can't imagine what could make a guy like you blush."

With that, she turned and walked towards the target again. Raising her hands, she rubbed her palms together until the distinct crackling noise of electricity filled the room. Holding her hands upward, a jagged spider web of electricity shot upwards, swirling like a tornado, until it hit the metal blades of a utility ceiling fan and shot outwards towards the remaining five targets. She hit each one dead on, slicing an uneven hold through the center of each. There was a moment's pause, then a resonating _thud_ as all five targets fell over backwards onto the tile floor.

Without looking over her shoulder at him, she turned and headed towards the doorway.

Yusuke sighed as she left. _Girls are so... _Unable to think of a word to describe his emotions towards Ayame and all others of her sex, he hesitated a few minutes before making up his mind to chase after her. He had decided by that point in time that she was one girl he wasn't going to lose.

The few minutes head start had paid off. Ayame reached the exit far before Yusuke did, but her progress was slightly hindered by Hiei and Kurama standing before her. She met Kurama's eyes first, then Hiei's. After a second or two, she stepped slowly backwards. One step, two steps...

"Leaving?"

Even without turning around, Ayame knew who it was behind her. "I figured I would," she replied, careful to keep her voice controlled and to not give anything away.

"Ayame..." Yusuke paused. _Now or never._ "I need to talk to you. In private." He gripped her shoulders, her protests falling on deaf ears, and steered her into an empty office.

"Yusuke, is now really the time?"

"Do you want to know what happened or not?"

"Yes."

"I...I'm gonna tell you what happened, and then I'm gonna get really embarrassed."

Ayame's heart thudded as she turned to face him. "O-okay."

He looked diagonally down at the floor. "You...Raidon as you...kissed me."

The blush that spread across Ayame's face was bright and instant. "I...I did?"

He nodded, the bits of his hair left untamed by gel flopping into his chocolate brown eyes.

Summoning all her courage, Ayame braced herself for the answer to what she was about to ask. "If...it had been me...would you have minded?"

A sudden realization dawning upon him, Yusuke looked up at her, the cocky, crooked grin returning. "Nope."

Her heart fluttered, and suddenly she realized she was leaning towards him. "Then you won't mind if I do now...for real this time."

Yusuke slowly reached out for her, his hands sliding from her waist to her mid-back. Her hands found his shoulder, resting there for a moment and then slinking around the back of his neck. Their eyes fluttered closed simultaneously, and their lips finally met in a much denied, true kiss.

After they drew apart, Ayame said quietly, "So...we're going out now, right?"

"Damn straight," Yusuke muttered, claiming her mouth once more with his own.

Standing by the door, Kurama smiled at them through the glass. Hiei stood beside him like an omnipresent shadow.

"It's about time they did that," the fox remarked happily.

"Hn," Hiei grunted, rolling his eyes. "It won't last forever."

Kurama smiled at his friend's pessimistic view. "All the more reason for them to cherish it now, before it's gone."

If he knew Yusuke as well as he thought, however, he would be too stubborn to let go of Ayame for quite some time. _Good_.

**END**

There! The last chapter is done, and with that, I finish the story. What a great feeling!

Review or eat toenails.

Choose wisely.


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